With National Margarita Day just around the corner on February 22, I wanted to share some of my favorite unique margaritas across Walt Disney World Resort.

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, head over to The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge, where you can enjoy the ‘Citizens Take Flight’ tasting of three margaritas on the charming patio. These sips have character! Sample Bucky Greenhorn’s Derby Margarita, Melivan Macheezmo’s Mango Margarita, and Ready Freddy Fiddlesticks Pomegranate Margarita.

While Cava del Tequila will be a popular spot on National Margarita Day, I enjoy gazing out at World Showcase lagoon at La Hacienda de San Angel while sipping on an Orange Mango Fire Margarita, premium silver agave tequila, ginger liqueur, orange juice, mango puree, fresh lime juice and a hint of Tabasco sauce, served on the rocks with a Tajin chili powder rim. Another delightful take on the margarita is the Italian Margarita found at Gelati in the Italy Pavilion, crafted with frozen limoncello and grappa.

Parks aren’t the only places you can find one of these satisfyingly sour sips, pick up a drink at BoardWalk Joe’s Marvelous Margaritas for a leisurely stroll around the BoardWalk on a hot day.

Relax after a day in the parks at Rix Lounge at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Their Margarita Flight lets guests sample their five handcrafted margaritas: mango blueberry basil, classic, hibiscus, pineapple and jalapeno.

At Whispering Canyon Cafe, you can sip on a Moonshine Margarita made with Troy & Sons Platinum Moonshine, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, fresh lime juice and agave nectar topped with soda water.

Across property, try the Grand Margarita, with Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila, Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice and sweet-and sour, available at most pool bars. Another popular sip is the Habañero Lime Margarita, on the menu at several lounges and restaurants.

In the “spirit” of National Margarita Day: Coming this spring, look for a new place to enjoy an adult beverage while watching the sunset at Downtown Disney Marketplace.

There are so many attractions at Walt Disney World Resort, and sometimes as a parent it can be tough to determine which ones are a good fit for younger children. Once I had kids, I was pleasantly surprised at just how many rides and experiences are available for everyone, including the littlest members of the family. There are 25 attractions without any height requirements at Magic Kingdom Park alone! Once your baby grows into a preschooler, there is even more fun to be had on rides for slightly taller kiddos.

We rounded up height requirements from the most popular attractions in all four theme parks and put them into handy charts to help you plan ahead.

Once in the parks, be sure to check out the My Disney Experience mobile app for height requirements, thrill levels, wait times and more, all while on the go. If you are dying to check out a thrill ride and your youngest isn’t quite there yet, your family may be able to utilize Rider Switch, which allows adults to take turns riding the attraction without waiting in line all over again. What are your favorite attractions to experience with your little ones?

We promised a peek at the new beverages for this year’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, fruit-based sips like Key Lime sparkling wine from Florida Orange Groves at Florida Fresh Outdoor Kitchen and Ace Pineapple Hard Cider and sparkling pineapple wine at Pineapple Promenade.

Among new craft cocktails, we can’t wait to taste: La Tizana cocktail at Botanas Botánico and the Urban Mary at Urban Farm Eats.

“La Tizana is a Venezuelan-influenced fruit punch made with orange juice, lime juice, banana puree, grenadine and garnished with a tropical fruit medley of diced pineapple, mango, strawberries and oranges,” explains Marianne Hunnel, content development manager and beverage expert extraordinaire. For an adult version, you can add a splash of RHUM Orange liqueur from Santa Teresa, Venezuela.

“The Urban Mary is a tomato beverage made with spicy tomato juice, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce, garnished with a pickled green bean and micro greens,” Hunnel continues. Adding a shot of vodka is an option.
Craft beer is back in a big way, with new additions like Maple Bacon Stout, being brewed right now at Shipyard Brewing Company in Clearwater, Fla., to be released on opening day of the festival. Try it in a flight at The Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews.

And one of the most whimsical takes on grown-up tastes is the new “Ice Pop” at Fleur De Lys in France, flavored with peach iced tea mixed with Grand Marnier Peach Raspberry (a limited-release spirit) and a splash of vodka. “It’s frozen, but not solid, so it just melts in your mouth – refreshing!” says Eric Weistroffer, general manager of Chefs de France.

New this year are free cooking demonstrations at 3 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through May 17 at Port of Entry at the entrance to World Showcase. If you’re there for the weekend, plan a short stop. The demos are just about 15 minutes, and it’s your chance to meet a Disney chef and watch how to prepare a delicious dish. Just some festival items to be featured at the demos will be the Piggylicious Bacon Cupcake, the ghost pepper-dusted tilapia, and white corn arepas. You can also pick up a copy of the Taste of Epcot festival cookbook with plenty of recipes to try at home.

For more information, call 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639) or go to epcotinspring.com. Admission to the festival, running March 4-May 17, includes all gardening programs and exhibits.

runDisney is excited to offer this opportunity for friends and family, and those just wanting to checkout a runDisney event, to “click-in” and watch dreams come true. Followers will be able to track runners as they run 13.1-miles through the Magic Kingdom Park and Epcot, and then join in “live” for a royal celebration at the finish line.

Guests that go to the Disney Parks Blog will have two live streams to choose from. One stream begins at 5:00 a.m. and includes the start line, multiple cameras and social media feeds. The other begins at 6:30 a.m. and features an uninterrupted stream from the finish line.

You can join in the social media conversation on Twitter and Instagram by using #PrincessHalf.

After the race come back to the Disney Parks Blog for your chance to replay both feeds.

For more information on Disney Princess Half Marathon and other runDisney race weekends, visit runDisney.com.

It’s the third year for the Outdoor Kitchens around World Showcase Lagoon, and the garden- and spring-inspired tapas-sized food and beverages just get more and more interesting. The new Botanas Botánico Outdoor Kitchen between France and Morocco pavilions will showcase treats like Cachapas with Farmer’s Cheese, a sweet yellow corn pancake, and Seafood Ceviche with shrimp, scallops and grouper with mango and avocado.

Hungry yet? Protein fans will love everything from Confit de Canard (pulled duck confit) at Fleur De Lys to a spicy hot dog with pineapple chutney and sriracha mayo at Pineapple Promenade. There’s Harissa Chicken at Taste of Marrakesh and a Pulled Pig Slider at The Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews. Florida Fresh will serve up hearty Shrimp and Stone-Ground Grits with Andouille Sausage and Jardin de Fiestas has tacos with achiote marinated pork.

Look for our next post on all the fun beverages!

For more information, call 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639) or go to epcotinspring.com. The festival, including all gardening programs and exhibits, is included in regular Epcot admission.

If you read any Walt Disney biography, you’ll get a sense of Walt’s patriotism and how that eventually inspired him to create attractions like Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln and Hall of Presidents. Other attractions that carry a patriotic theme, like American Adventure at Epcot, have continued this tradition.

Ah, love is in the air this week with Valentine’s Day on Saturday. I don’t know two ducks who fancy each other more than Daisy and Donald. Below is a look at them in topiary form traveling through a floral tunnel of love at the 2006 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

The Great Outdoors
Consider glamping at Fort Wilderness in one of our cabins, and hit the links as your favorite foursome, ride horses, rent bicycles, kayak, parasail, even hook a fish – all with some Disney flair.

We have so many other ideas for your girlfriend getaway – even if it’s just for the afternoon. But I’d love to hear from you: what are your favorite ways to celebrate with your best buds at Walt Disney World Resort?

The merchandise events team has created a variety of items especially for this event including apparel, drinkware, accessories and more. This year, the Sorcerer Mickey topiary takes center stage as the main logo on several items including a coffee mug, magnet, and tote bag (the mug features a hidden broom topiary image inside). I love the new topiary-inspired headband with a Sorcerer’s hat and a gardening hat with mouse ears.

The Disney pin team created several limited edition pins featuring the topiaries that will be found throughout the theme park including the new Anna and Elsa topiaries inspired by Disney’s “Frozen”.

Olaf from Disney’s “Frozen” will join Mickey and Minnie Mouse as new garden decorations (the thought of Olaf next to the rain gauge makes me laugh!).

Finally, we will release a new Dooney & Bourke collection designed by Disney Design Group artist Paola Gutierrez. This black-and-white pattern shows silhouettes of Disney characters riding vintage bicycles (you may recall seeing the artwork in this story from early January. Select bags released during the Festival will include a specially designed hangtag. There are no immediate plans to carry these bags at Disneyland Resort or on our Disney Parks online store; they will only be found at Epcot during this initial release.

These items will be released at the Festival Center, a themed shopping and demonstration area located between Mission: SPACE and Universe of Energy pavilions at Epcot. This year, the Festival Center will be open Friday-Sunday during the Festival Weekends. Items will also be found in other merchandise locations in Future World and World Showcase.

Stay tuned as I’ll provide a first look inside the Festival Center around the start of the event in March. I’ll also have details about a new retail MagicBand created for this event that you won’t want to let go.

Check out this video, in which Neil shares some of his favorite Disney memories and his excitement over his fulfilling his latest “Disney dream” – the chance to host “The 2015 Oscars,” which will air LIVE on Sunday, February 22nd at 7e|4p on ABC!

Featured Video

Comment Policy

Thanks for visiting the Disney Parks Blog. We welcome your comments. Please understand that this is a moderated blog. Blog comments will be reviewed prior to posting. As a result, there will be a delay in the posting of comments. Not all comments will be posted. Comments may also be removed after they are posted.